Bangkok councillors and municipal councillors are seeking a rise in their monthly entitlement, saying they have not had a pay increase for 15 years.
Trouble is, many Bangkok taxpayers aren't so sure they deserve it.
"It's true they have not received a pay rise for a long time but the current economic conditions are not good at all," said Huang sae Heng, a resident of Bangkok's Dusit district.
"They must understand that any pay rise would come from taxpayers' money," Huang said.
He also complained that the performance of Bangkok councillors and municipal councillors was not so great.
"If they want a pay raise, they should ask the people's opinion first," Huang said.
Bangkok Council president Kitpon Cherdchukijkul argued that people clearly recognised the importance of Bangkok councillors and municipal councillors.
"Look at the voterturnout statistics," he said, noting that when the first election for the two groups of city councillors took place in 1985, just 10 per cent of eligible voters bothered to cast a ballot.
Today, the turnout is over 40 per cent of eligible voters.
"To carry out our jobs, we have to reach out to people. That means we have to pay for petrol, telephone bills and many other things," Kitpon explained.
He said living costs in the capital had risen constantly over the past 15 years.
"So why shouldn't the Bangkok councillors and the municipal councillors be awarded a pay rise" he asked.
Currently, the Bangkok Council is seeking to increase the councillors' monthly pay from Bt41,000 to Bt54,120. For municipal councillors, it wants the monthly pay lifted from Bt10,070 to Bt15,250.
There are now 57 Bangkok councillors, and 357 Bangkok municipal councillors.
"MPs and senators have received pay rises many times already," Kitpon said.
Deputy Bangkok Governor Thirachon Manomaipiboon said he personally agreed both groups of councillors should be paid more.
"Attractive remuneration can do away with corruption and attract qualified, capable people to do jobs that will directly benefit the public," he said.
Thirachon said it would be hard to attract hardworking, capable people while the pay remained poor.
Praphan Muangsiri, an elected Bangkok councillor for eight years, said his job came with huge responsibilities but the pay was relatively little.
"Why can't I get a pay rise like other people?" he said.
However, another resident in Bangkok's Prawet district, Kriangsak Tangjerdjaras, said he could not agree with the push for a pay rise for city and municipal councillors.
"I think what they earn is already high, and they should take into account that we are all facing economic hard times," he said.
To Kriangsak, only Bangkok's municipal councillors deserve a rise because their income was indeed meagre.